ALBUM REVIEW: Alchemia Aeterna – Deep River Acolytes
Originally forming in 2011 under the moniker DELIVERANCE, Finland’s DEEP RIVER ACOLYTES have been peddling their own take on bluesy doom across two studio albums and an EP. Amidst the chaos of 2020 the band find themselves on the cusp of their third release, Alchemia Aeterna. Their last outing, The Hour Of Trial was well-received in 2018 with its prominent bass work being of particular note. The question now is whether the band can continue their upward trajectory or if the law of diminishing returns has come for them.
Opener At The Crossroads comes out swinging, all bluesy riffs and galloping drums. It’s reminiscent of BLACK SABBATH’s speedier moments fused with blues rock a la CLUTCH and has a rollicking feel to it. Things do slow down quickly though for follower Under Her Spell that trades much of its blues influences bar the vocals for doom with a slower pace. The band make good use of the doomier elements, changing things up often enough for the most part to retain interest. Of note is just shy of the four minute mark of Under Her Spell that moves the pace up into stoner rock territories.
The band are also no stranger to sludgy moments either; Caught Somewhere Out Of Time features the kind of swampy groove that wouldn’t be out of place in New Orleans. Along with this, penultimate number Veriurut flirts with the kind of sludge that sounds like it is culled from a DOWN B-side. It’s the most varied song on the album without feeling disjointed and is a great example of where the band’s strengths lie. On the other side, The River Deep flirts with southern rock, utilising keys and cleaner guitars to create an almost country atmosphere.
DEEP RIVER ACOLYTES do enjoy their genre stew; throwing in some blackened rasps and tremolo picking on the odd occasion such as the closing passage of Caught Somewhere Out Of Time and showing there’s more than a little black metal in their DNA. The track is a gargantuan near eight-minute affair that veers from glacially paced doom to blackened riffing replete with sci-fi inspired keys that are strongly reminiscent of alien invasion movies. The sudden introduction of the keys so prominently is jarring and does let the song down a little given its strong first half.
Closer Cemetery Earth is the longest song penned for the album, sitting a little shy of ten minutes. It’s a sprawling, doomy blues number where softer verses are interspersed by huge, fuzzy grooves. It makes great use of layered vocals to create an epic scope and a natural peak to the song. These carry out the song alongside an instrumental passage featuring tremolo picking and keys to close.
Alchemia Aeterna has a rougher sound than its predecessor that contributes to a more organic, live sounding album This leaves each part enough room to breathe with no one part stifled. Though, the bass is occasionally further back in the mix and can rob the groovier moments of their impact. With that said, the strengths of the album do outweigh its weaknesses. When the band lock in a bluesy groove or a blackened sludgy moment such as those on Veriurut hits, it hits like a freight train. DEEP RIVER ACOLYTES have a lot of promise in these moments and Alchemia Aeterna has them in spades. The end result is a genre-splicing ride where the fuzzy highs outshine the lows, fusing bluesy doom and blackened sludge for an enjoyable ride. With just a little tightening here and there, DEEP RIVER ACOLYTES could well find themselves joining doom’s upper echelons.
Rating: 7/10
Alchemia Aeterna is out now via Argonauta Records.
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